1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide adjuster for use in adjusting the position of an automobile seat in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automobile slide adjusters generally include a lower rail and an upper rail mounted thereon so as to be slidable relative thereto. Some conventional automobile slide adjusters include a plurality of rolling elements such as, for example, rollers, balls, or the like interposed between the lower rail and the upper rail to reduce the sliding resistance (see Document 1). Some conventional automobile slide adjusters include a plurality of elastic elements made of, for example, a resin interposed between the lower rail and the upper rail to eliminate clearances between the lower rail and the upper rail (see Document 2 or 3). Furthermore, some conventional automobile slide adjusters include a plurality of projections formed on the lower rail or the upper rail to eliminate vertical and horizontal looseness (see Document 4, 5 or 6).                Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-266943        Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 5-7532        Document 3: Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 5-37554        Document 4: Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 62-79628        Document 5: Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 58-40533        Document 6: Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 58-48536        
The slide adjuster as disclosed in Document 1 is of a construction in which both the upper and lower rails have ribs formed on surfaces thereof that are opposed to each other and held in contact with the rolling elements so that the ribs may absorb variations in the interval between the opposing surfaces. Accordingly, this slide adjuster requires many component parts and a lot of time for the manufacture thereof.
In the slide adjuster as disclosed in Document 2 or 3, the elastic elements act to reduce the sliding resistance to thereby eliminate generation of noises. However, the provision of the elastic elements results in an increase in the number of component parts and requires a time-consuming assemblage.
In the slide adjuster as disclosed in Document 4, 5 or 6, vertical and horizontal looseness is eliminated by the projections formed on the lower rail or the upper rail, but this slide adjuster involves a problem in that the sliding resistance cannot be readily stabilized due to variations in the size of the upper or lower rail. Furthermore, a high dimensional accuracy is required, resulting in a reduction in productivity.